In the book "A Year in Province", Peter Mayle explains that in France, even the simplest questions on food can become a twenty minute plus discourse--or even an argument--about the correct ingredients and method. Such was the case with one of my favorite summer meals, salade Niçoise. I had always accepted that the salad that I loved included lettuce (the French debate the type), new potatoes (some say “never!”, some say sometimes), tinned tuna (in oil versus not in oil), haricot verre … [Read more...]
The Souvenir Menu: Sweet Celebration
For my mother’s 60th birthday, I hedged my bets. I bought several bottles of Champagne for her party, but also brought along several bottles of Moscato d’Asti. Over the years I have received consistently good feedback whenever I’ve served this wine. For orientation, Moscato (Bianco) is the Italian name for the Muscat grape, and Asti is the capital city of the province of Asti in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. If you are thinking cheap Asti Spumanti, don’t. The Piedmont region … [Read more...]
Justine’s: A French story d’amour
Tucked away among the factories and warehouses on East Fifth Street, you will find a house with a pétanque, or bocce ball, court and garden tables. As you walk through the courtyard, you begin to smell the aroma of butter and garlic. A few more steps and you are greeted with the sound of classic vinyl records and good conversation. Even in Austin, where people pride themselves on enjoying a good quality of life, it is rare to find a place where guests are invited to arrive late, order a … [Read more...]
The Souvenir Menu: Chez Nous
The downturn in the US economy had finally reached my plate. About a year ago, give or take, I started to notice a bad trend. I was eating a lot of mediocre meals. The places I was going to weren’t really changing, but the quality of what was being offered was really taking a hit. Restaurants were cutting back and having to make things stretch a bit farther than usual. Dishes that were pretty good just a year ago were being comped with apologies from the manager. With that in mind, I was … [Read more...]
